When I was in college, before I became a believer, a young man lived in my dorm named Steve. If you happened to eat a meal with Steve, he always talked about one thing…Jesus Christ. It didn’t matter what topic the conversation started with, it always finished with Steve talking about Jesus. He was a young man with intense focus…so that at times I found myself drawn to him, and at other times repelled.

The Apostle Paul had a unique combination of passion and focus revealed in his statement here to the church in Corinth. Paul decided to focus his attention in Corinth on nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. It was an active decision on his part that he not only made, but more importantly, acted on. He did not allow the things of the world to distract him.

God doesn’t call everyone to live with the extraordinary focus of Paul, but He does call us to live with focus. As physicians, we have all kinds of opportunities that can become distractions for us. There will be professional opportunities as well as recreational opportunities. As we move past our residency training and begin to experience some financial success, the recreational opportunities will expand and the possibility of finally spending our time developing that hobby will present itself.

There is nothing wrong with engaging in recreation or a hobby. In fact, it’s healthy to do that periodically. The issue is to maintain a focus. To do that, we must first decide to live our lives with focus. For those who are committed believers, their focus should be living the life that Jesus wants them to live.

Christianity is not about following a set of rules. It is about developing and maintaining a relationship with Christ. The relationship is personal and unique to you and to Him. He has plans for you. Don’t lose your focus and prevent those plans from developing.

Prayer: Lord, you know I live in a world surrounded by all kinds of opportunities and distractions. Help me stay focused on the things you have for me to do. Show me today where to spend my time and where to say no.